The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may or may not constitute prior art.
A typical multiple speed automatic transmission uses a combination of planetary gear arrangements, friction clutches and fixed interconnections to achieve a plurality of gear ratios. The number and physical arrangement of the planetary gear sets generally are dictated by packaging, cost and desired speed ratios.
While current transmissions achieve their intended purpose, the need for new and improved automatic transmission configuration which exhibit improved performance, especially from the standpoints of efficiency, responsiveness and smoothness and improved packaging, primarily reduced size and weight, is essentially constant. Accordingly, there is a need for a cost-effective, compact and multi-speed transmission.